Method of creating incentives for establishing hotspot locations

ABSTRACT

A process of creating incentives for wireless hotspots by a service provider is disclosed. An access point is provided to a wireless hotspot for wireless devices to wirelessly connect to a larger network in a publicly accessible location. Use of the access point for a portable device is authenticated by requesting submission of an account identifier to the service provider and billing data for a user of the portable device for use of the access point is generated. Use statistics are evaluated of the access point of the wireless hotspot by portables devices and an inducement is provided to the publicly accessible location based on the evaluated use statistics.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Serial No. 60/409,936, filed on Sep. 12, 2002. The subjectmatter of this earlier filed application is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to devices and networks thatutilize wireless computer networks and methods of creating incentivesfor establishment and continued operation of wireless computer networks.The present invention further relates to methods and networks that allowfor proper for users to access wireless services from wireless hotspotswithout requiring an account with each wireless hotspot location.Additionally, the present invention also provides incentives to rapidlyexpand the growth of wireless services to create an economic base ofwireless services users and wireless hotspots locations.

[0004] 2. Description of Related Art

[0005] The emergence of what are commonly called wireless hotspots hasincreased the mobility of wireless users and allowed mobile users toaccess network resources without requiring a physical connection to thelarge network. Many of these wireless hotspots have appeared in coffeeshops and libraries, and allow users with wireless communicationequipment to communicate with local area networks and wide area networksas they move about. The locations that provide the access do so toattract customers or because, in the case of libraries, they see suchaccess as an extension of their governmental mandate. However, theequipment, monitoring and access services are not free, and the providerof the hotspot has to bear the burden of those expenses. As an example,a T-1 digital connection can cost approximately $1000 per month in 2002rates to provide such a level of service. If the expansion of wirelesshotspots is to continue so that they become ubiquitous, one possibilityis for the persons using the hotspots should take up some portion of thecosts.

[0006] In addition, there is also a “chicken or the egg” type problemwith wireless access. Since the relative number of users of wirelessdevices in 2002 is not high, establishments do not generally have anyincentive to provide wireless service for a small number of users.Similarly, while the number of establishments offering wireless servicesis small, users of the wireless devices don't not generally have anyincentive to sign up for those services if they are available in only afew places. One of the benefits of having consumers pay for the accessservices, is that this would allow for the party receiving payments tocreate incentives to expand wireless access and thus increase the amountof payments received by the party receiving payments.

[0007] As such, there is a need for a method or mechanism that cancreate incentives for wireless devices and wireless hotspots to spreadthe use of wireless access. In addition, there is also a need for asystem and method that can monitor the use of existing services offeredby wireless hotspot to wireless devices and provide incentives to expandthe existing services based on use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is an object of this invention to overcome the drawbacks ofthe above-described conventional network devices and methods. Thepresent invention is directed to software applications and systems thatallow for controls to be placed on the type and amount of data receivedand sent based on access criteria. Those controls are important in thatthey allow the end user or the device to control the amount of datareceived from or sent to the wireless network that the system willprocess and display.

[0009] According to one aspect of this invention, a process of creatingincentives for wireless hotspots by a service provider is disclosed. Anaccess point is provided to a wireless hotspot for wireless devices towirelessly connect to a larger network in a non-private location. Use ofthe access point for a portable device is authenticated by requiringsubmission of an account identifier to the service provider and a userof the portable device is billed for use of the access point. Usestatistics are evaluated of the access point of the wireless hotspot byportables devices and an inducement is provided to the non-privatelocation based on the evaluated use statistics.

[0010] Alternatively, the use statistics may be the number of users ofthe access point of the wireless hotspot or the types of servicesutilized by users of the access point of the wireless hotspot. Also, theauthentication of use of the access point for a portable device may bethrough requiring submission of an account identifier to one of awireless telephone service provider and a landline telephone serviceprovider. The inducements may include providing a proprietor of thewireless hotspot with a portion of revenue received by the serviceprovider based on the step of billing a user of the portable device foruse of the access point. The inducements may also include providingsubsidized access to the access point of the wireless hotspot forcertain users affiliated with the wireless hotspot.

[0011] The process may include advertising services available from thewireless hotspot to users of the access point of the wireless hotspot,where the advertisement may be made through the access point to users ofthe access point of the wireless hotspot or through a wireless telephonenetwork. Additionally, the inducement may include upgrading equipmentutilized by the access point, where enhanced equipment may be providedto the wireless hotspot to provide greater bandwidth access to portabledevices accessing the access point. Also, the inducement may includeproviding specialized content to the wireless hotspot.

[0012] According to another embodiment of the invention, a system formonitoring of wireless hotspots and creating incentives for wirelesshotspots by a service provider is disclosed. The system includes firstproviding means for providing an access point to a wireless hotspot forwireless devices to wirelessly connect to a larger network in anon-private location and authenticating means for authenticating use ofthe access point for a portable device by requiring submission of anaccount identifier to the service provider. The system further includesbilling means for billing a user of the portable device for use of theaccess point, evaluating means for evaluating the use statistics of theaccess point of the wireless hotspot by portable devices and secondproviding means for providing an inducement to the non-private locationbased on the evaluated use statistics.

[0013] In another embodiment, a system for monitoring of wirelesshotspots and creating incentives for wireless hotspots by a serviceprovider is disclosed. The system includes a first provider forproviding an access point to a wireless hotspot for wireless devices towirelessly connect to a larger network in a non-private location and anauthenticator for authenticating use of the access point for a portabledevice by requiring submission of an account identifier to the serviceprovider. The system also includes an accounting system for billing auser of the portable device for use of the access point, an evaluatorfor evaluating the use statistics of the access point of the wirelesshotspot by portables devices and a second provider for providing aninducement to the non-private location based on the evaluated usestatistics.

[0014] These and other objects of the present invention will bedescribed in or be apparent from the following description of thepreferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] For the present invention to be easily understood and readilypracticed, preferred embodiments will now be described, for purposes ofillustration and not limitation, in conjunction with the followingfigures:

[0016]FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a wireless telephonesystem having multiple cells, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0017]FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic representation of a wirelesshotspot with an access point and several wireless devices, according toone embodiment of the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic of a wireless hotspot withconnections to different network entities, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

[0019]FIG. 4 provides a schematic representation of the good andservices exchanged to provide incentives for wireless access;

[0020]FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of the process of providingincentives for wireless access, according to an alternate embodiment ofthe present invention;

[0021]FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of the process of providingincentives for wireless access, according to another embodiment of thepresent invention; and

[0022]FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of the process of providingincentives for wireless access, according to one embodiment of thisinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] The present invention provides a system and a method for creatingincentives to establish hotspot locations. Part of the incentive systemallows users of the wireless hotspot to provide identifying informationand be billed later for their usage. In one embodiment, the user couldsupply a wireless or landline telephone number and the user's accountwith the wireless telephone service provider would be billed. Thepresent invention allows for wireless or landline telephone serviceproviders or third party service providers to provide wireless hotspotequipment and service to locations to increase the use of their servicesand increase their profits through billing of users.

[0024] The process of creating incentives for wireless access may becarried out by different candidates that seek to benefit form theexpansion of wireless services. One candidate for offering theseservices is landline telephone and wireless telephone providers, wherethose providers already provide landline, cellular and other wirelesstelephone data services to their users. Following a similar model asthat used for mobile telephones, access to wireless hotspots can becoordinated through wireless telephone service providers, with thewireless telephone service providers assisting in authenticating ofusers, monitoring of usage and billing of users for usage.

[0025] Another candidate for offering wireless hotspot services would bea third party that supplies services to the wireless hotspot locations,provides authentication of users and processes and forwards billinginformation to billing party. Thus, the third party would provide theinterface between the hotspots and an entity with which the user of thehotspot has an account. The third party could be a telephone company ora wireless telephone company or another service provider.

[0026] A general cellular telephone network is illustrated in FIG. 1.Multiple cells 111 b, 112 b and 113 b are established through the use ofantennas 111 a, 112 a and 113 a. Devices 101-104 having access to thecellular telephone network are able to move from cell to cell andmaintain access with the network. Each antenna 111 a-113 a can beconnected through link 120 with a service provider 130. The serviceprovider 130 controls access to the network and coordinates thehanding-off of access as the devices pass between the cells. The serviceprovider identifies each device and routes communication to the properlocation of the particular device. The devices 101-104 may be cellulartelephones, computers with wireless modems, or other devices thatexchange information with the service provider.

[0027] A general wireless hotspot installation is illustrated in FIG. 2.The hotspot is controlled through an access point 200, with the accesspoint having an antenna 201 a to establish a wireless access zone 201 b.The wireless access may be made through an IEEE 802.11 standard localarea network (LAN) or other type of wireless network. Devices 210-212within the hotspot are able to communicate with the larger network 230through communication with the access point 200. The access point 200has a communication link 220 with the larger network 230 and the accesspoint acts to enable communication between the devices 210-212 and thelarger network and between the devices. As examples, the devices 210-212may be computers equipped with 802.11 access cards, personal dataassistants enabled for wireless access, cellular telephones havingmultiple means for wireless access or comparable devices. The largernetwork may be the Internet or some private wide area network.

[0028]FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention. Awireless hotspot is illustrated, with the coverage of the hotspot set bythe access point 300 through an antenna 301 a, the range of the hotspotis illustrated by the range 301 b. Devices 310 and 311 within the range301 b may potentially establish a connection with the hotspot. Theaccess to the access point is controlled through the access controller305, that may be hardware, firmware, software or a combination thereof.A communication connection 315 is established between the access point300 and the larger network 330 where that connection is modulated by arouter 308.

[0029] Also illustrated in FIG. 3 is a wireless or landline telephoneservice provider 340. The service provider 340 contains a database 342of users of the telephone network. The wireless or landline telephoneservice provider provides services through an antenna 321 a, through aconnection 320, to provide a coverage area 321 b. The coverage area 321b for the wireless telephone service may also include some or all of thewireless hotspot range 301 b.

[0030]FIG. 4 provides a schematic view of the goods, services andinformation exchanged between parties in order to create incentives. Thewireless hotspot provider provides services to the portable device user,such as network access to a larger network, be it the Internet or aprivate intranet. The hotspot provider acts as a conduit for theportable device user to the larger network, and can also provide contentthat is specific to the hotspot. The latter type of content data may bemenu items if the hotspot proprietor provides food or drink or may beinformation about access to a color printer if the hotspot providesaccess to such a color printer. The hotspot provider also can provideadvertising for available services, advertising ads for sponsors of thehotspot, or advertising of other entities that have contracted toadvertising served to users. In terms of goods, services and informationprovided by the portable device provides payments to the hotspot. Thatpayment can be direct payment for services, a portion of paymentsreceived through revue sharing and increased sales revenue because ofadditional customers brought in through the offering of wirelessservices. Additionally, the portable device user may provide feedback tothe hotspot provider. Such feedback may assist the hotspot provider andother entities to tailor their services to specific types of users thatare desired.

[0031] Also, in FIG. 4, the hotspot provider also interacts with eithera wireless telephone provider or a landline telephone provider. In thecase of either entity, the hotspot provider provides feedback about theamount and types of services that are being used by portable deviceuser. Such feedback is important because it allows the telephoneprovider to determine if services to the hotspot provider should beexpanded, decreased or maintain at a present level. The hotspot provideralso provides information about new users that may sign up for servicesthrough the hotspot. In addition, the hotspot provider also providesadvertising data to the wireless or landline telephone provider, so thatupdated information about the capabilities of the hotspot can beadvertised to the portable device users, as discussed below.

[0032]FIG. 4 also shows the goods, services and information provided tothe hotspot provider from the wireless or landline telephone provider. Afirst incentive that may be provided to the hotspots would be equipment.Such equipment may be provided to the hotspot with, for example, theproviso that services be provided through the telephone provider. Inthat case, the hotspot provider would be able to offer services and notrequired to front the expenses for the wireless access equipment. Aspart of that arrangement, the telephone provider may also providenetwork services to the hotspot and can also provide content to thehotspot. Such content may be specific to the hotspot, such that onlycertain types of hotspot may carry specific content, e.g. a networkgaming environment may only be provided to a specific coffee shoplocations to provide an extra incentive to visit those locations.

[0033] Additionally, subsidies may also be provided to the hotspotprovider. These subsidies may be in the form of reduced cost access tonetwork services for the hotspot proprietor and their employees. Thesubsidies could also be in the form of a rebate for extra equipmentinstalled in a hotspot provider. The telephone provider may also provideupgrades to the services and/or equipment of the hotspot based on theusage of the hotspot or other criteria. Also, the telephone provider andthe hotspot provider may engage in a revenue sharing agreement betweenthem so that the hotspot provider receives a portion or a set amount forthe amount of revenue that is provided to the telephone provider becauseof the access provided by the hotspot. Lastly, the telephone providermay also provide incentives for users that may be passed along to theuser. Such incentives could be, for example, coupons to be found in thehotspot location for reduced cost for access or incentives to be passedalong to the user through the advertising by the hotspot, as discussedabove.

[0034] Also illustrated in FIG. 4 are examples of goods, services anddata that are exchanged between the portable device user and either thewireless or landline telephone provider. Included among those may beuser incentives, where the incentives could be directly sent to the useroffering reduced costs or other inducements. For example, a user mayreceive such a message as a part of the user's download of data throughtheir wireless telephone. Also, the telephone provider may alsoadvertise the services for the hotspot location, providing locations ofand services provided by the hotspot locations. As part of receivingaccess, the portable device user provides payment to the telephoneprovider, where the monitoring and billing of the access may be handledby the telephone provider. The telephone provider may also provideservices directly, such as wireless telephone services and the telephoneprovider may also receive feedback about the user's experience withgaining and maintaining access to the larger network through the hotspotlocation.

[0035] The process of creating incentives for establishment of wirelesshotspots, according to one embodiment, is illustrated in FIG. 4. Thefirst step 401 calls for providing an access point for wireless devicesto wireless connect to a larger network in a non-private location. It isnoted that other embodiments of the present invention can provide anaccess point in a private location, but the incentives would bedifferent since all of the users would need to have access to theprivate location to use the private location. After the access point isprovided, users seeking to access services of the access point arerequired to submit an account identifier from a service provider, instep 402, such as a wireless telephone service provider. If the accountidentifier is authenticated, then the user is allowed access. It isnoted that the account identifier may be a single datum, such as atelephone number, or may be a series of data, such as a telephonenumber, password, etc. or may be a series of responses to queries froman authenticating entity.

[0036] The use of the access point is monitored and the user is billedby the service provider for that usage, in step 403. This billing may bemade on the basis of how much time the user spent logged on to theaccess point, may be based on the bandwidth used by the user, or may bebilled based on another agreement between the user and the serviceprovider. Additionally, incentives can be provided to the non-privatelocation based on use of the access point, in step 404. The incentivescould include discounted services for the proprietor of the non-privatelocation or some form of payment back to the proprietor. Such incentiveswould depend on the use of the access point by the users so that theproprietor would have an incentive to advertise the services provided bythe access point. This advertising can alert the users of specialattributes of the hotspot that may match certain requirements of theuser. Such attributes could include voice over IP, video streaming, ordetail the expected bandwidth that a user of the hotspot should be ableto use. As an example, a hotspot location could provide for rapidpicture uploading and that specific service may be advertised tointerested users. Additionally, the services offered by the hotspotlocations may be bundled, so that users may select the type or servicethat they want to be authorized for.

[0037] In another embodiment of the present invention, a third partywould act as an agent for the service provider and would create theincentive for establishing the hotspot locations. In this embodiment,the service provider, such as a wireless telephone provider 350 wouldhave account information for the user in its database 352. The thirdparty company 340 would act as a go-between and would maintain its ownrecords of users in its own database 342. The benefit of the third partycompany in this embodiment of the present invention is that the companywould provide the interface between the wireless hotspot and the serviceprovider and would not require any direct interaction between theservice provider and the wireless hotspot. Another benefit of the thirdparty company embodiment is that users could supply account data foraccounts they have with entities other than the wireless telephoneservice provider, such as a television cable company or an Internetservice provider.

[0038] The process of creating incentives for establishment of wirelesshotspots, according to the latter embodiment, is illustrated in FIG. 5.The first step 501 calls for providing an access point for wirelessdevices to wireless connect to a larger network in a non-privatelocation. After the access point is provided, users seeking to accessservices of the access point are required to submit an accountidentifier from an appropriate entity, in step 502, such as a wirelesstelephone service provider or other service provider. If the accountidentifier is authenticated, then the user is allowed access. The use ofthe access point by the user is logged until the use of the access pointis terminated, in step 503. After that, the information about the user'sactivities is provided to the service provider in a format that theservice provider can use to bill the user.

[0039] The present invention is also directed to monitoring andaugmenting the services provided by the hotspots based on use. Anexample of the process is illustrated in FIG. 6. Data are collected onthe use of the access point by the users of the wireless devices, instep 601 and that data is used to make allocation decisions, in step602. Based on the allocation decision, greater services can be providedto the hotspot location when the decision is made favorably, in step603. Thus, if an access point has a high usage and users are not fullyable to use the services of the hotspot, then the access point can beprovided with greater capacity. Such incentives would be in the interestof the service provider or third party company because it may allow forgreater use and greater profitability of the hotspot location.

[0040] It is noted that the present application is directed, at least inpart, to wireless hotspots. The use of the term wireless hotspot orhotspot is applicable to any wireless access point. The term wirelesshotspot or hotspot, as used in the specification and claims, should notbe construed to be limited to a single type of locale or be construed asproviding access according to only a particular wireless access format,such as the IEEE 802.11 standard. It would also be within the scope ofthe invention to implement the disclosed elements of the invention indiscrete electronic components, thereby taking advantage of thefunctional aspects of the invention. Additionally, the present inventioncan be implemented totally or partially through software.

[0041] Although the invention has been described based upon thesepreferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skilled in theart that certain modifications, variations, and alternativeconstructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit andscope of the invention. In order to determine the metes and bounds ofthe invention, therefore, reference should be made to the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process of creating incentives for wirelesshotspots by a service provider, said process comprising: providing anaccess point to a wireless hotspot for wireless devices to wirelesslyconnect to a larger network in a publicly accessible location;authenticating use of the access point for a portable device byrequesting submission of an account identifier to the service provider;generating billing data for a user of the portable device for use of theaccess point; evaluating use statistics of the access point of thewireless hotspot by portable devices; and providing an inducement to thepublicly accessible location based on the evaluated use statistics.
 2. Aprocess as recited in claim 1, wherein said step of evaluating the usestatistics of the access point comprises evaluating a number of users ofthe access point of the wireless hotspot.
 3. A process as recited inclaim 1, wherein said step of evaluating the use statistics of theaccess point comprises evaluating types of services utilized by users ofthe access point of the wireless hotspot.
 4. A process as recited inclaim 1, wherein said step of authenticating use of the access point fora portable device comprises authenticating use of the access point for aportable device by requiring submission of an account identifier to oneof a wireless telephone service provider and a landline telephoneservice provider.
 5. A process as recited in claim 1, wherein said stepof providing an inducement comprises providing a proprietor of thewireless hotspot with compensation based upon a portion of revenuereceived by the service provider based on said step of generatingbilling data for a user.
 6. A process as recited in claim 1, whereinsaid step of providing an inducement comprises providing subsidizedaccess to the access point of the wireless hotspot for selected usersaffiliated with the wireless hotspot.
 7. A process as recited in claim1, wherein said step of providing an inducement comprises advertisingservices available from the wireless hotspot to users of the accesspoint of the wireless hotspot.
 8. A process as recited in claim 7,wherein said step of advertising services comprises advertising servicesavailable for portable wireless devices by the wireless hotspot throughthe access point to users of the access point of the wireless hotspot.9. A process as recited in claim 7, wherein said step of advertisingservices comprises advertising services available from the wirelesshotspot to users of the access point of the wireless hotspot through awireless telephone network.
 10. A process as recited in claim 1, whereinsaid step of providing an inducement comprises upgrading equipmentutilized by the access point.
 11. A process as recited in claim 10,wherein said step of upgrading equipment utilized by the access pointcomprises providing equipment to the wireless hotspot to provide greaterbandwidth access to portable devices accessing the access point.
 12. Aprocess as recited in claim 1, wherein said step of providing aninducement comprises providing specialized content to the wirelesshotspot.
 13. A system for monitoring of wireless hotspots and creatingincentives for wireless hotspots by a service provider, comprising:first providing means for providing an access point to a wirelesshotspot for wireless devices to wirelessly connect to a larger networkin a non-private location; authenticating means for authenticating useof the access point for a portable device by requesting submission of anaccount identifier to the service provider; generating means forgenerating billing data for a user of the portable device for use of theaccess point; evaluating means for evaluating use statistics of theaccess point of the wireless hotspot by portable devices; and secondproviding means for providing an inducement to the publicly accessiblelocation based on the evaluated use statistics.
 14. A system as recitedin claim 13, wherein said evaluating means comprises evaluating meansfor evaluating a number of users of the access point of the wirelesshotspot.
 15. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein said evaluatingmeans comprises evaluating means for evaluating types of servicesutilized by users of the access point of the wireless hotspot.
 16. Asystem as recited in claim 13, wherein said authenticating meanscomprises authenticating means for authenticating use of the accesspoint for a portable device by requiring submission of an accountidentifier to one of a wireless telephone service provider and alandline telephone service provider.
 17. A system as recited in claim13, wherein said second providing means comprises third providing meansfor providing a proprietor of the wireless hotspot with compensationbased upon a portion of revenue received by the service provider basedon said generating means.
 18. A system as recited in claim 13, whereinsaid second providing means comprises third providing means forproviding subsidized access to the access point of the wireless hotspotfor selected users affiliated with the wireless hotspot.
 19. A system asrecited in claim 13, wherein said second providing means comprisesadvertising means for advertising services available from the wirelesshotspot to users of the access point of the wireless hotspot.
 20. Asystem as recited in claim 19, wherein said advertising means comprisesadvertising means for advertising services available for portablewireless devices by the wireless hotspot through the access point tousers of the access point of the wireless hotspot.
 21. A system asrecited in claim 19, wherein said advertising means comprisesadvertising means for advertising services available from the wirelesshotspot to users of the access point of the wireless hotspot through awireless telephone network.
 22. A system as recited in claim 13, whereinsaid second providing means comprises upgrading means for upgradingequipment utilized by the access point.
 23. A system as recited in claim22, wherein said upgrading means comprises third providing means forproviding equipment to the wireless hotspot to provide greater bandwidthaccess to portable devices accessing the access point.
 24. A system asrecited in claim 13, wherein said second providing means comprises thirdproviding means for providing specialized content to the wirelesshotspot.
 25. A system for monitoring of wireless hotspots and creatingincentives for wireless hotspots by a service provider, comprising: afirst provider for providing an access point to a wireless hotspot forwireless devices to wirelessly connect to a larger network in a publiclyaccessible location; an authenticator for authenticating use of theaccess point for a portable device by requesting submission of anaccount identifier to the service provider; an accounting system forgenerating billing data for a user of the portable device for use of theaccess point; an evaluator for evaluating use statistics of the accesspoint of the wireless hotspot by portables devices; and a secondprovider for providing an inducement to the publicly accessible locationbased on the evaluated use statistics.
 26. A process as recited in claim25, wherein said evaluator comprises an evaluator for evaluating anumber of users of the access point of the wireless hotspot.
 27. Aprocess as recited in claim 25, wherein said evaluator comprises anevaluator for evaluating types of services utilized by users of theaccess point of the wireless hotspot.
 28. A process as recited in claim25, wherein said authenticator comprises an authenticator forauthenticating use of the access point for a portable device byrequiring submission of an account identifier to one of a wirelesstelephone service provider and a landline telephone service provider.29. A process as recited in claim 25, wherein said second providercomprises a third provider for providing a proprietor of the wirelesshotspot with a portion of revenue received by the service provider basedon a billing of a user of the portable device for use of the accesspoint by the accounting system.
 30. A process as recited in claim 25,wherein said second provider comprises a third provider for providingsubsidized access to the access point of the wireless hotspot forcertain users affiliated with the wireless hotspot.
 31. A process asrecited in claim 25, wherein said second provider comprises anadvertiser for advertising services available from the wireless hotspotto users of the access point of the wireless hotspot.
 32. A process asrecited in claim 31, wherein said advertiser comprises an advertiser foradvertising services available for portable wireless devices by thewireless hotspot through the access point to users of the access pointof the wireless hotspot.
 33. A process as recited in claim 31, whereinsaid advertiser comprises an advertiser for advertising servicesavailable from the wireless hotspot to users of the access point of thewireless hotspot through a wireless telephone network.
 34. A process asrecited in claim 25, wherein said second provider comprises an upgraderfor upgrading equipment utilized by the access point.
 35. A process asrecited in claim 34, wherein said upgrader comprises a third providerfor providing enhanced equipment to the wireless hotspot to providegreater bandwidth access to portable devices accessing the access point.36. A process as recited in claim 25, wherein said second providercomprises a third provider for providing specialized content to thewireless hotspot.